Delivery-crate.



II. N. AcKUs. DELIVERY CRATE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31. |912.

Patntewug. 31, 1915.

I Inventor I NIN A Wwitnesses.

Moni@ HENRY N. BAGKUS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DELIVERY-CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915..

'. Application filed July 31, 1912. Serial No. 712,409.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY N. BAcxUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and uesful Improvements in Delivery Crates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the `characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to slatted crates or packages, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter moreV end is brought forcibly into contact with various objects as the crate'is moved about in use and is likely torbecome torn away from the slats in a manner to cause its lower end to turn outwardly, thereby presenting a sharp corner likely to injure any object with which it may come into contact.. To prevent the tearing of the lower end of the metal strip away from the slats and at the same time afford a guard rail to protect the bottom portion of the walls of the package, I make the lowermost slat of the ends and side walls of greater thickness than the remaining slats, either by usingv a single piece suliciently heavy for the purpose', or by placing two or more lighterslats together to afford the requisite thickness, and cause a portion of the slat to extend onto the metal corner strip whereby said strip is guarded so that it cannot be torn away from the slats at the corner, and a strong reinforcement is afforded for the lower portion of the end and side walls of the package, an arrangement which renders the package very serviceable.

The preferred embodiment of my invention -is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of my improved package. AFig. 2 is a fragmentary View 1n cross section through the corner of the package at the juncture of the lowermost slats of the end and side walls, as on line 2-2'of Fig. l. Fig.'` 3 is a similar section showing the lowermost slats formed by employing two relatively thin slats. Fig. 4 is al similar view with the inner slatted members without shoulders which abut against the corner post, as in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the slats formed of three relatively thin strips united to give the required thickness.

Referring to the characters of reference,

1 designates a slatted package of any suity .able construction, having the inner corner posts 2 onto which the ends of the slats extend and the outer angular metal corner strips 3 which cover the ends of the slats and extend onto the outer faces thereof, said corner strips being secured to the ends of the slats by fastening means passing therethrough and into the corner post. The lowermost slats 4 of the end and side walls of the package are of greater thickness than the remaining slats of said walls, and, as illustrated in Figs. l and 2, are provided in their ends with longitudinally extending kerfs orslits for the admission of the edges of the metal corner strips 3 which lie in said kerfs, as clearly shown at 5 in Fig. 2. The outwardly projecting portion of said slats at the ends thereof extends onto the o'uter faces of the angular metal strips, as shown at 6 in said last-mentioned figure, thereby protecting the edges of the corner strips at their lower ends in a manner to prevent thembecoming torn away from the slats of the walls, as before stated, while the projecting thickness of the slats 4 serves as a fender which reduces the liability of' the corner strip being struck and injured above said fender strips. To secure the end portions 6 of the slats which extend onto the face of the corner strips, nails or other suitable fastening devices 7 are driven through said slats and strips and into the corner posts 19 are runners on which the crate may slide.

In Fig. 3 l show a construction wherein `the bottom slats of the end and side walls are made up of two slats placed together,

9 it their ends extend onto the faces 'of the angular corner strips 3, the edges of said strips, as at 5, being conned between said slats and the inner slats 8. In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the inner faces of the slats 4 are provided with'shoulders 10 which abut against they inner faces of the post 2 in order to render the corner more rigid. This same feature is also employed in the construction shown in Fig. 3, wherein the inner slats 8 are also provided with the shoulders 10 which engage the faces of the post.

In Fig. 4 the construction` is like that shown in Fig. 3, with the exception that the inner slats 11, unlike those employed in the construction shownvin Fig. 3, are not provided with the abutting shoulders 10; the

edges of the corner strip 3, however, being o confined between the inner slats 11 and the outer slats 12 in the same manner as described in the construction shown in said last-mentioned figure.

In Fig. 5 the lowermost slats are shown constructed of three pieces or parts comprising the inner pieces 13 which abut against the faces of the post 2, the middle pieces 14 which cross the outer faces of the post and abut at the corner,`and the outer pieces 15 which extend onto the margins of the metal corner strip '3.` In all of the structures vshown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, nails or other suitable fastening means 7 are passed through the outer lpieces and the margins of the metal corner strip and into the post 2.

While the same result is accomplished by the structures shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 as that accomplished by the structures shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the arrangement shown in the last-mentioned figures is the preferred form or embodiment of the invention, the other forms being regarded as modifications thereof.

Havin thus fully set forth my invention, what I c aim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A crate composed of slatted walls 'having inner corner posts to which the ends of the slats are secured and outer angular corner strips covering the ends of said slats, the bottom-most slats of the walls being relatively thick and heavy and each having an inner shoulder which abuts against one of said corner posts, the endportions of said slats extending onto the opposite faces of the corner strips at their lower ends.

In testimony whereof, I sign this speciication in the presence of two witnesses.

E. S. WHEELER, M. E. BROESAMLE. 

